Community involvement 2010 - MIT Lincoln Laboratory

LINCOLN
LABORATORY
MIT lIncoln laboraTory
COMMUNITY
OUTREACH Community involvement 2010

10
Community
giving programs
lincoln laboratory outreach by the numbers
19
K–12 Stem
programs
100+
Scientists
and engineers
volunteering
for outreach
as mentors,
speakers, or
tour guides
5,250
Hours per year
supporting
Stem programs
10,000+
Students
seeing Stem
demonstrations
at lincoln
laboratory and
in area schools

A message from the Director
Community outreach and education programs are an important component of the laboratory’s mission.
From the beginning, our outreach initiatives have been inspired by employee desires to help people in need
and to motivate student interest and participation in engineering and science. there are many opportunities
to participate. the laboratory’s educational outreach initiatives offer the opportunity to provide in-classroom
and Science on Saturday presentations to regional K–12 schools, to sponsor u.S. FiRSt robotics programs,
and to participate in mentor-based internships for college and graduate students preparing for science and
technology careers. there are also opportunities to be a part of the laboratory’s volunteer base to serve
as judges and advisors for local and regional science fairs and science-based activities. the laboratory is
committed to giving back to the community by sponsoring fund-raising and community service events in
support of the united Way, the national multiple Sclerosis Society, the Salvation Army, and other charitable
organizations. the involvement of the entire lincoln laboratory community is encouraged and suggestions
on how we might improve our outreach activities are welcomed.
eric D. evans
i
eric evans, the Director of lincoln laboratory,
meets students from Boston, Cambridge, and
lawrence middle schools. these students
visited the laboratory as part of the Science,
technology, engineering, and math (Stem)
Program offered by mit’s office of engineering
outreach Program.

lincoln laboratory Community outreach (llCo)
LLCO is an initiative to promote K–12 STEM
educational outreach and community involvement and giving
in partnership with MIT’s Office of Engineering Outreach
Programs and the MIT Public Service Center.
lincoln laboratory takes pride in promoting science and engineering education for all grade levels,
and supporting the community through giving programs. outreach programs capitalize on the strengths of
the lincoln laboratory scientific community and strive to integrate service with education and research.
lincoln laboratory has a history of supporting educational outreach through three primary programs:
massachusetts institute of technology’s (mit) vi-A master of engineering program, Worcester Polytechnic
institute’s (WPi) major Qualifying Project, and the university cooperatives and summer intern program.
However, since 2006, the laboratory has increased its focus on educational outreach initiatives, spawning
the lincoln laboratory Community outreach committee, and cultivating the laboratory’s position to motivate
interest and participation in science, technology, engineering, and math programs for K−12 students, develop
a program to introduce minorities to engineering careers, and offer classroom presentations and science
seminars targeted to specific ages.
mit lincoln laboratory recently became a member of the national Defense education Program (nDeP).
nDeP invests in science, engineering, and math education in K–12 programs and is supported by the
Department of Defense Research & engineering. nDeP’s mission is to support a new generation of
scientists and engineers who will apply their talents in the nation’s defense laboratories.
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e D u C At i o n A l O U T R E A C H
K–12 Science, technology, engineering, and math (Stem) outreach
Partnerships with mit
local Schools and teachers
Community engagement
e D u C At i o n A l C O L L A B O R AT I O N S
technical Staff Programs
Student Programs
minority Programs
C o m m u n i t y G I V I N G
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tA B l e o F C O N T E N T S

EdUCATIONAL Outreach

K–12 Stem outreach
Science Seminar Series
Dr. todd Rider coordinates a program that sends technical staff members to local schools, giving presentations to students in
grades K–12. more than 7000 students have enjoyed presentations on cryogenics, electronic circuits, paleontology, biotechnology,
astrophysics, and other topics. Since the program’s inception in 2005, technical staff members have delivered presentations and
demonstrations to more than 6000 middle-school and high-school students.
Science on Saturday
this program features on-site science demonstrations by lincoln laboratory technical staff. more than 3500 local K–12 students,
their parents, and teachers attend Science on Saturday events over the course of the school year. Attendees have enjoyed hands-on
demonstrations on rockets, robotics, asteroids, archaeology, optics and lasers, and polymers. Presentations for the current year are:
Feb. 6 Computer voice Recognition/Speech
Apr. 3 optics and lasers
Jun. 5 Digital electronics and Computers
oct. 16 Amusement Park Physics
Dec. 4 How Computers Communicate with each other
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K–12 Stem outreach
The Robotics Outreach is designed to help
students experience how interesting and rewarding
the life of engineers and researchers can be.
Robotics Outreach
in addition to hosting hands-on workshops to introduce
students to robotics programming, Robotics outreach at lincoln
laboratory (Roll) sponsors several teams, in age groups ranging
from 9- to 18-year-olds, at the For inspiration and Recognition of
Science and technology (FiRSt) Robotics regional and national
competitions. volunteers mentor students at weekly sessions that
cover programming robots to complete challenges specified
by FiRSt.
High School Robotics
FiRSt competitors of high-school age join FiRSt technical
Challenge (FtC) teams, while students in middle school and below
join FiRSt lego league (Fll) teams. twenty lincoln laboratory staff
members volunteer as coaches and mentors for these teams.
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FTC Team 1
team 2875 was active within the FiRSt community and shared the knowledge they gained
with other teams. they have presented demonstrations at lincoln laboratory’s Sons and
Daughters Days, mentored the new in-house team, and assisted in mentoring the external
team. An initial sign of their hard work was their being named the “most Helpful team” at
their first scrimmage.
FTC Team 2
the eight students in team 3590 quickly learned
to work as a team, and their skills building with the
Hitechnic FtC kit and programming with RoBotC
showed consistent improvement.
External FTC team
lincoln laboratory also sponsored a team external
to the laboratory—a high school in nearby Arlington.
laboratory staff members, along with two science
teachers from the school, mentored this team.
together, they ensured that this rookie team of
eight students had adequate supplies, funds, and
guidance to design, build, and program their robot
for competition.
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K–12 Stem outreach
Robotics Teams —
Grades 4 through 8
FLL Team 1
team 4851, llAmAs (short for lincoln laboratory
Armageddon machine Activists), was made up of eight
middle-school students who built on their experience to
beat their ranking last year of 2nd place in state competition.
the llAmAs won the Champion’s Award—the most
prestigious award for not only technical performance, but
also teamwork, respect, and gracious professionalism.
FLL Team 2
team 1618, Robothunder, was made up of six 5th- and
6th-grade girls and boys. two girls are returning Fll
participants from last year; and four boys were new to Fll.
this team practiced making a program with a high level
of repeatability.
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FLL Team 3
team 4855, RoboBeavers, had eight 11-year-old boys. this team
was honored with the leonardo da vinci Award, a prestigious design
award for out-of-box thinking, and exceptionally creative robot design.
they employed features such as four-wheel-drive trains and monstertruck-like
jumping capabilities.
FLL Team 4
team 4854, tropical transporters, was a rookie team of 9-year-olds—
three girls and four boys. new to robotic programming, this team was
surprised how quickly they learned to control a robot.
FLL Team 5
team 6125, the newtons, had six 9-year-olds. this young group was
excited about trying different approaches to accomplish a specific
task and fine-tuning program commands.
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Partnerships with mit
in addition to hiring mit graduate students and undergraduates as research assistants, co-ops, and interns, and
forging relationships with technical researchers and professors, lincoln laboratory and mit are also partnering in
the field of educational outreach for K–12 students.
mit’s Department of engineering’s office of engineering outreach Programs (oeoP) provides deserving students
rigorous academic experiences that will give them a better sense of how technical concepts relate to their everyday
lives and encourage them to pursue careers in science and engineering. Students are provided engaging, hands-on
curriculum that strengthens their foundational math, science, and communication skills in a challenging learning
environment with high expectations, paired with access to top positive role models. this year, lincoln laboratory
became affiliated with four mit educational outreach programs: miteS, SeeD, mSBP, and Stem.
Minority Introduction to Engineering
and Science (MITES) Program
this six-week residential summer program for the top high-school
students in the nation stresses the value and reward of pursuing
advanced technical degrees and careers while developing the skills
necessary to achieve success in science and engineering. lincoln
laboratory’s involvement in this program consisted of
• Sponsoring two students in the six-week summer program
at mit
• Hosting 75 students enrolled in the miteS program for
presentations and tours
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Saturday Engineering and Enrichment
discovery (SEEd) Academy
the SeeD Academy is a seven-semester technical
career-exploration program for promising but traditionally
under-served high-school students in Boston, lawrence,
and Cambridge. lincoln laboratory
• Sponsored an aeronautics/astrophysics course
• Provided presentations and tours of laboratory
facilities
MIT Science of Baseball Program (MSBP)
this four-week summer program for 8th grade boys from
Boston, lawrence, and Cambridge featured an integrated
academic and athletic curriculum to channel the students’
enthusiasm for baseball into a renewed excitement for and
increased proficiency in the math, science, and culture behind
the game. lincoln laboratory’s involvement in this program
consisted of
• Partial sponsorship of one local middle-school student
• Presentations and tours of laboratory facilities
• Challenging the students to a softball game
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Partnerships with mit
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Program
Stem is a year-round academic enrichment program including mentoring and a summer institute for middle-school
students from Boston, Cambridge, and lawrence. the courses use lectures, projects, and experiments to help
participants develop mathematical thinking and problem-solving abilities in preparation for high-school “gateway”
math and science classes, in an attempt to increase the number of local students in the technical workforce.
lincoln laboratory’s involvement in this program consisted of
• Sponsoring a robotics course for 20+ students
• Providing tours of laboratory facilities
• Presenting a Science on Saturday demonstration at a school location
Ceres Connection
The Ceres Connection names
minor planets in honor of students
and their teachers.
under the Ceres Connection program, minor planets discovered by lincoln laboratory’s near-earth Asteroid Research
program are named in honor of science students in grades 5–12 and their teachers. the honorees are selected through
science competitions directed by the Science education Department at the Society for Science & the Public. to date,
approximately 2500 students and their teachers have been honored. each year, the Ceres Connection program awards
about 250 students with this honor.
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local Schools and teachers
Science on Saturday on Tour
lincoln laboratory is taking the already successful
Science on Saturday demonstration “How Computers
Work” to mit to celebrate the 150th anniversary of
mit in April 2011. this demonstration lets children
show how computers communicate using 0s and
1s (right). laboratory scientists will be presenting
demonstrations at the tech expo for this event,
as well.
Sister Robotics Teams
Roll forged a collaboration with Arlington High School by mentoring a rookie team for the FiRSt robotics competition.
With the help of laboratory mentors, the Arlington team received guidance on how to design, build, and program their
robot for competition. this rookie team even hosted a scrimmage for area teams, learning many new techniques from
the visiting teams.
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local Schools and teachers
Minuteman Career and Technical High School
lincoln laboratory employs students from the minuteman vocational
School in lexington, as part of its high-school internship program.
the internships comprise twenty weeks over the academic school
year and provide students with hands-on experience in a realworld
laboratory setting. Senior michael Jagger (right) worked in
the mechanical engineering Group and developed drawings and
modeling of parts for a sensor lincoln laboratory is developing.
Additionally, michael created CAD/CAm drawings for projects using
CoCreate oneSpace 2007 and model manager.
Senior Ben Caesar worked in the iSR and tactical Systems Division
working on databases and maintaining web pages.
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John d. O’Bryant School Program
Students from the John D. o’Bryant School of math and Science in
Roxbury, visited the laboratory in october 2009 and march 2010.
technical staff members gave presentations on what inspired them
to Stem majors and careers. the students received tours of the
Flight and Antenna test Facility.
Cross-teaching with Northeastern University
lincoln laboratory is considering initiating a cross-teaching program
in which laboratory staff could teach a university course, and faculty
from northeastern university could host a course on premises at
lincoln laboratory. Further potential exists for northeatern university
faculty to collaborate on two laboratory programs, while the
laboratory could offer support in one university program. A variety
of educational programs to train students and career professionals
in key technologies may be offered.
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local Schools and teachers
Leadership Initiatives for Teaching
and Technology
the leadership initiatives for teaching and technology
(liFt2 ) program provides middle- and high-school teachers
with summer internships in a technical field in an effort to
help teachers relate classroom curriculum to authentic and
relevant applications in the 21st century workplace. each
summer, two to four teachers participate in this program,
gaining insight into new skill sets needed by today’s technical
workforce, and better helping their students prepare for
future careers. in 2010, the laboratory hosted Kyle Wescott
(far right, shown with mentors Jessica olszta and Wes
olson), a math teacher from marlborough High School, in
the Weather Sensing Group to analyze data related to the
traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System for avoiding
mid-air collisions. Alan Chuckran, a Dracut High School
physics teacher, worked in the Surveillance Systems Group
evaluating field data to better understand the impact of
weather on airport operations. A third internship in both the
net-centric operations Group and the Airborne networks
Group analyzing wireless network performance was offered
to Carla Pavao who teaches math at Hudson High School.
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Community engagement
Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair
lincoln laboratory technical staff have been volunteering as judges for the
massachusetts State Science and engineering Fair since 2000, evaluating six to eight
projects by high-school students. At the 2010 massachusetts State Science and
engineering Fair, lincoln laboratory became a bronze donor of the event by sponsoring
winners in the Physics and engineering competitions. Additionally, nine laboratory
scientists (Shourov Chatterji, Jessica Deniger, Phillip evans, Caroline lamb, todd Rider,
neal Spellmeyer, Zack Weber, Alexandra Wright, and Jung yoon) participated in the
science fair as judges. lincoln laboratory has also volunteered judges for inventeams
competitions in which high-school teams from around the country send research
proposals to mit for judging and potential funding.
Lexington High School Science and Engineering Fair
in 2010, six technical staff (eric Austin, Anthony Filip, Robert legge, Brian Shucker,
Joseph Stewart, and Grant Stokes) from lincoln laboratory supported lexington High
School by volunteering as judges for the school’s Science and engineering Fair.
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Community engagement
Cambridge Science Festival
in coordination with mit, lincoln labora-
tory Community outreach partnered with
Robotics outreach volunteers to man a
booth in the Cambridge Science Festival,
a multifaceted, multicultural event, providing
robotics demonstrations and hands-on
activities to an estimated 15,000 people from
the new england region. the Cambridge
Science Festival, the first of its kind in the
united States, is a week-long celebration
showcasing Cambridge as an internationally
recognized leader in science, technology,
engineering, and math.
The Cambridge Science Festival
makes science accessible, interactive,
and fun.
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Boy Scout Inventing Merit Badge Program
lincoln laboratory technical staff members Curtis Heisey and Jonathan Williams took part in the Boy Scouts of America
inventing merit Badge Workshop sponsored by the lemelson-mit Program, School of engineering, at mit. Curtis and Jonathan
briefed the Boy Scouts on unpatented inventions and open-source technology
Additionally as part of the program, Curtis and maria Picardi Kuffner hosted an Aviation merit Badge workshop for 22 local
Boy Scouts at Hanscom Air Force Base’s Aero Club. the workshop gave scouts the opportunity to learn about aviation as a
career and earn the Aviation merit Badge. this hands-on workshop taught scouts about aircraft and flight, inspection of a plane,
aeronautics, map reading and control surfaces on a model aircraft, forces on a plane, demonstrations of a wing section in a
wind tunnel, and careers in aviation.
Tours
As part of the lincoln laboratory Community outreach Program, tours of laboratory facilities such as the microelectronics laboratory,
Air traffic Control laboratory, and Flight and Antenna test Facility were given to a number of groups such as the following:
new Jersey institute of technology Cadets
DARPA Program managers
Air Force Cadets
uSAFmC
mit minority engineering interphase Group
Army test and evaluation Command
u.S. Army natick laboratory
West Point Cadets
national Reconnaissance office Fellows
leader-to-leader Group
Armed Forces Communications and electronics Association
eSC Hanscom Air Force Base personnel
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EdUCATIONAL cOllabOratiOns
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technical Staff Programs
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Technical Staff Seminars
the technical staff stay current in their field by presenting
technical seminars at area universities and hosting
technical seminars at lincoln laboratory. Seminar series
are built to motivate and inspire while facilitating working
relationships. lincoln laboratory conducts seminar
series with researchers at mit, northeastern university,
and Pennsylvania State university College of information
Sciences and technology. lincoln laboratory also has
an in-house education program which offers courses
in technical subjects such as electro-optics, classes in
software applications, one-day technical seminars, and
workshops in leadership and business skills. last year,
the laboratory hosted 17 seminars under this educational
outreach program.
e D u C At i o n A l C O L L A B O R AT I O N S

technical Staff Programs
Integrated Photonics Initiative
the integrated Photonics initiative is a multiyear, lincoln laboratory–
funded collaboration between the laboratory and the mit Campus
to support the research of doctoral candidates working on integrated
photonic materials, devices, and subsystems. its objectives are to
identify Department of Defense mission areas that could benefit from
integrated photonic technologies, develop these technologies through
graduate research, and work to insert the technologies into advanced
communication and sensor systems. Current research topics include
the development of high-power slab-coupled optical amplifiers,
integrated ultrafast optical logic gates, and absorbance modulated
optical lithography.
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Computer Science and Artificial
Intelligence Laboratory
lincoln laboratory collaborates with the mit Computer
Science and Artificial intelligence laboratory (CSAil).
in 2009, a robotic forklift was developed for military logistics
applications. the project aimed to reduce the number of
human operators exposed to harm in war-zone storage
facilities. there are ongoing collaborations with CSAil
in such areas as cognitive speech systems and highperformance
embedded computing. the laboratory’s
technology office Special Seminars often feature guest
speakers from CSAil to discuss robotic networks and
artificial intelligence.
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Student Programs
Graduate Fellowship Program
lincoln laboratory offers a limited number of graduate
fellowships to science and engineering students
pursuing mS or PhD degrees at partner universities.
the fellowship program awards funds to support a
Fellow’s stipend, supplement a graduate assistantship,
or subsidize other direct research expenses during
a student’s thesis research. in 2009, this program
has awarded funds to four mit students and seven
students at other partner universities.
Lincoln Scholars Program
technical staff are eligible to apply for entry into the
lincoln Scholars Program for both master’s and
doctoral levels which enables the pursuit of advanced
degrees on a full-time basis. last year, 12 staff entered
the lincoln Scholars Program and attended mit,
gaining valuable knowledge applicable to their work
and higher education.
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MIT VI-A Master of Engineering Thesis Program
lincoln laboratory is an industry partner of mit’s Department of electrical engineering
and Computer Science vi-A master of engineering thesis Program. the vi-A students
selected to work at lincoln laboratory spend two summers as paid interns, participating
in projects related to their fields. the students work with an industry mentor while acquiring
experience in testing, design, development, research, programming, and project planning,
and are then supported as research assistants while they complete their thesis research at
lincoln laboratory.
distance Learning Programs
For talented and motivated staff members interested in pursuing a master’s degree,
the laboratory offers the opportunity to participate in distance learning programs offered
by Carnegie mellon university and by the Pennsylvania State university College of
information Sciences and technology while continuing to work full time at the laboratory.
WPI Major Qualifying Program
lincoln laboratory collaborates with Worcester Polytechnic institute (WPi) in its
major Qualifying Project (mQP) program, which requires students to complete an
undergraduate project equivalent to a senior thesis. the mQP demonstrates the
application of skills, methods, and knowledge to the solution of a problem representative
of the type encountered in industry. lincoln laboratory usually accepts 15–20 students
in the mQP per year.
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Student Programs
Summer Research Program
lincoln laboratory offers undergraduate and graduate
students the unique opportunity to gain hands-on
experience in a leading-edge research environment.
Program participants contribute to projects and gain
experience that complements their courses of study.
the laboratory hires approximately 100 students from
top universities every summer to participate in Summer
Research Program internships.
University Cooperative Education Studies
technical groups at lincoln laboratory employ students from mit, northeastern university, and other area colleges as co-ops working
full time with mentors during the summer and part time during the academic term. Co-ops participate in building prototypes, help
solve problems, assist in research activities, and test applications in the field. Highly qualified students selected as co-ops can become
significant contributors to project teams. Currently, sixteen students are working as research assistants on lincoln laboratory programs.
MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
under the mit undergraduate Research opportunities Program (uRoP), lincoln laboratory invites undergraduates to participate in
on-site research projects. mit undergraduates may be involved in every phase of research, developing research plans, writing proposals,
performing experiments and measurements, analyzing data, and presenting research results. the laboratory usually hosts five
uRoP students in the summer and three in the winter.
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Naval War College and Maxwell Air University
The synergy between the campus focus
on basic research and the Laboratory knowledge of defense
applications has benefited both communities.
lincoln laboratory recently completed teaching an elective at the naval War College in newport, Rhode island, entitled, net-Centric
and Cyber operations: implications for national Security. this course, co-taught by lincoln laboratory staff and the Fletcher School at
tufts university, prepares the students, all o-4 and o-5 level officers, for the technology and policy challenges they will face as the DoD
enhances information superiority through increased data sharing and collaboration and ensures its ability to operate in cyberspace by
securing and defending critical information. this course was first offered in 2008 with a sole focus on net-centric operations policy and
implementation challenges. in 2009, the course was enhanced to include cyber operations and an overview of cyber threats. Students
have described the net-Centric and Cyber operations course as “one of the best at the naval War College.” Based on the popularity of
this course, lincoln laboratory now offers a similar, but abbreviated, elective at the Air Force Center for Professional military education
(also known as Air university) at maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Alabama.
Another elective at the naval War College co-taught by lincoln laboratory staff and tufts university is Homeland Security and
Counterterrorism: technological and Policy Foundations. this course explores in a systematic fashion the critical technologies,
capabilities, operational concepts, and policies that will influence how the united States defends its homeland and deals with the
threats posed by terrorism. Students examine the fundamental systems and capabilities that are part of homeland security and
counterterrorism, and learn to assess the ability of the united States to integrate and employ these systems and technologies to
achieve the desired strategic effects of military power. tufts university and lincoln laboratory teach similar courses in Space
technology and Policy, and Ballistic missile Defense.
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minority Programs
Undergraduate diversity Awards
the undergraduate Diversity Awards expand opportunities for women and minorities pursuing bachelor’s degrees in
engineering and science at selected colleges and universities. the award is typically in the form of tuition assistance,
support for technical paper presentations, or funds for independent research projects. Awards are provided each year
at colleges and universities where lincoln laboratory has little or no presence, such as Bryn mawr College, Howard
university, mount Holyoke College, new mexico State university, north Carolina Agricultural and technical university,
Smith College, Spelman College, Stevens institute of technology, the university of Puerto Rico, and Wellesley College.
AFCEA International Program
lincoln laboratory participates in the Armed Forces Communications
and electronics Association (AFCeA) international Program. AFCeA
arranges summer internship opportunities for graduating high-school
seniors interested in Stem careers. While three to four students are
offered laboratory internships each summer, at least 40 students
tour the laboratory facilities, seeing the latest research performed
at the laboratory and learning about various career options in math
and science. in 2010, the laboratory’s Advanced Sensor techniques
Group, the Chemical, Biological, and nanoscale technologies Group,
and the Advanced electro-optical Systems Group each were assisted
by an AFCeA intern. At right, AFCeA intern Katie Coe analyzed proteins
using electrophoresis to separate the protein molecules according to
size as part of her work producing and extracting proteins.
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Introducing High School Girls
to Engineering
this one-day event allows high-school girls to visit
the science departments of mit, observe cutting-edge
research, see demonstrations in laboratories, and
interact with female engineers. lincoln laboratory
hosts a tour of the facility and, by enabling area
participants to attend the event free of charge, exposes
more girls to careers in engineering. typically, about
20 girls attend the facility tour of working laboratories
such as the laboratory’s Air traffic management lab,
microelectronics lab, and biology labs, discovering the
different ways science and math are used in lincoln
laboratory careers. laboratory staff consider this an
opportune time to give a highly personalized tour, and
allow in-depth question and answer sessions with
female engineers.
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COMMUNITy GivinG
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Community Giving
lincoln laboratory employees are actively engaged in many activities supporting
worthy causes contributing to the overall quality of life within and outside of our
community in partnership with the mit Public Service Center. llCo strives to raise
awareness of local needs by organizing fundraising and outreach events that support
selected charity organizations. A diverse range of opportunities are provided for
employees to volunteer their time and resources.
Support the Troops Program
lincoln laboratory runs an ongoing campaign of support for deployed u.S. troops.
Donations of food, books, games, and toiletries are collected daily, boxed by volunteers,
and mailed weekly to military personnel serving in iraq and Afghanistan. there are
typically about 60 soldiers on the mailing list. in the past year, a total of 215 care packages
were mailed to 37 different troops.
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C o m m u n i t y G I V I N G

Community Giving
Thanks to the tremendous efforts
of participants and donors, hope for finding a cure
for MS is stronger than ever.
MS Bike & Hike
lincoln laboratory forms teams to participate in the annual “Bike and Hike
the Berkshires” event to raise funds for the multiple Sclerosis Society. the
2010 hiking and cycling teams totaled 27 members and raised more than
$14,500 for the multiple Sclerosis Society.
United Way Campaign
lincoln laboratory sponsors an annual drive in coordination with mit
to donate to the united Way through paycheck donation or a direct
one-time contribution. the united Way helps human service agencies
respond to urgent needs in the community and builds a brighter future
for those in need.
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Alzheimer’s Walk
in 2009, lincoln laboratory began participating in the Alzheimer’s
Association memory Walk— the nation’s largest event to raise
awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease. in 2010, this
relatively new giving program was supported by 16 laboratory
employees and raised more than $11,900 to support research
to treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Holiday drives
the mit Credit union in lincoln laboratory serves as a drop-off point for toys for tots
holiday toy drive, providing toys for kids in needy families. each year, numerous toys
are generously donated for holiday delivery.
Giving Tree
lincoln laboratory also conducts a “giving tree” during the holidays to respond to
specific wishes from local families in need. this program is paired with a food drive,
so that each recipient receives a requested gift and a food item for the holidays. Paula
mason, coordinator of the giving tree program, advocated for laboratory participation
in this program which collected gifts for 350 recipients last year.
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C o m m u n i t y G I V I N G

Community Giving
Food drive
lincoln laboratory Community outreach promotes food donation
drives to support the Food for Free organization, which responds
to both waste and local hunger by rescuing fresh food that might
otherwise go to waste and distributing it within the emergency
food system where it can reach those in need, providing healthy
food to more than 60 local emergency food programs, and over
20,000 individuals.
Used Book drive
in coordination with the mit Community Giving Fund, lincoln
laboratory holds an annual used book drive each February.
Proceeds support the mit Community Service Fund, which
offers grants to charities in Boston and Cambridge. the most
recent book drives raised between $1150 and $2850 in support
of community services.
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Clothing drives
Several local shelters—Shelter, inc. (an emergency and family shelter), on the Rise (a shelter for domestic violence survivors and
homeless women), the Salvation Army, and CASPAR (an alcohol and substance abuse program for homeless men and women)—
receive donations of gently used clothing from the laboratory community during annual clothing drives.
lincoln laboratory also participates each winter in the coats for Kids drive. lincoln laboratory collects warm coats for all ages and
delivers them to Anton’s Cleaners. All coats are cleaned free of charge and given to those in need through an extensive distribution
partnership. the Coats for Kids program, now in its 15th year, aims to provide 60,000 coats in the greater Boston area each winter.
lincoln laboratory donated more than 500 coats in last year’s coat drive.
A program new to llCo is hannah’s socks, a national program
collecting new socks for the homeless, begun by a 4-year-old girl who
gave a homeless man her socks because he had none. this national
program seeks to collect the least given, but most needed articles of
clothing for shelters around the country. lincoln laboratory donated
1930 items to support the Pine Street inn, which serves 1300 people
daily from their soup kitchen and several thousand more through their
housing programs.
in coordination with a marine chaplain stationed in iraq, lincoln
laboratory Community outreach hosted a coat drive specifically
for iraqi children, sending 32 care packages to one village in iraq.
Warm clothing has also been donated to orphans and refugees in
Afghanistan who lack adequate clothing for cold evenings.
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Community Giving
32
Habitat for Humanity
lincoln laboratory’s new employees network initiated
a new outreach activity and invited all employees to
join in helping Habitat for Humanity build an affordable
house in the local area for a needy family. the laboratory
is happy to aid Habitat for Humanity in its mission to
eliminate poverty housing and provide safe, healthy living
conditions while strengthening community ties. in July
2010, volunteers from lincoln laboratory joined together
to seal a foundation, add gravel under a deck, and install
a basement drain system.
5K Fun Run
lincoln laboratory holds an annual fun run in collaboration
with the onsite mit Fitness Center. Participants run on a
prescribed path in the laboratory/Hanscom neighborhood.
this fun run supports a different charity each year while
promoting fitness and community service. in 2010, runners
participated in this fun run over their lunch time, raising
funds from the laboratory community for the veterans
Hospital in Bedford, massachusetts.

Marshallese handcrafts are an
important part of the economy of
the Marshall Islands.
Marshallese Island Outreach
lincoln laboratory operates a field site at the u.S. Army Kwajalein
Atoll installation located about 2500 miles WSW of Hawaii. twenty
staff members, accompanied by their families, work at this site,
serving two- to three-year tours of duty.
their families become part of the community. the amiable relationship
enjoyed by the laboratory staff and the local community prompted
the initiation of the marshallese outreach program, developed to
enrich educational and life experiences of the marshallese people.
each summer, two marshallese college students are supported as
interns at a laboratory facility. each fall, a scholarship is awarded
to a local student choosing a career path in science, technology,
engineering, or math. laboratory staff at Kwajalein contribute to the
student lunch program for the local elementary school, and assist
artisan residents by displaying and selling marshallese handcrafts.
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C o m m u n i t y G I V I N G

LINCOLN LABORATORY
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
244 Wood Street, Lexington, MA 02420-9108
LINCOLN
LABORATORY
COMMUNITY
OUTREACH
Communications and Community Outreach Office
781-981-4204 ■ www.ll.mit.edu ■ ccoo@ll.mit.edu